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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. branch — a division
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bore — to drill
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bore — to tire
  19. tear — to rip
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com